


Warmth and Home

by Evitcani



Series: Living and Dying Beneath the Veil [14]
Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Big Ol' Dorks in Love, Comfort, Episode 60 Spoilers, Fluff, Laughing and Talking About Love, M/M, Post-Canon, a little bit of swearing, prompt, request
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-26
Updated: 2017-04-26
Packaged: 2018-10-24 08:22:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10737846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Evitcani/pseuds/Evitcani
Summary: A nightmare leads to a confession of love and laughing away the night.No series context needed fromLiving and Dying Beneath the Veil.





	Warmth and Home

**Author's Note:**

> Anonymous prompt on tumblr:
> 
> "A prompt: taako has a nightmare and needs krav for comfort"
> 
> SPOILERS FOR EPISODE 60

There was a tiny cry that broke the relative peace of the night. Kravitz shifted, feeling something jab him in the ribs. It didn’t hurt, but it was uncomfortable. He turned over to see Taako’s face scrunched in pain. That made the haze of sleep disappear entirely. Kravitz set a gentle hand on Taako’s shoulder, realizing he was having a nightmare. He sat up on the pillows and tugged Taako onto his lap carefully. Then, he started running his hands through Taako’s hair, weaving small braids haphazardly. 

The pain seemed to ease, but the crying started. Kravitz wiped away at the tears and Taako’s eyelashes fluttered, then his eyes opened. He rolled over to look up at Kravitz. Kravitz glanced down, but kept braiding Taako’s hair as the elf collected himself.

They stayed like that for some time. The room lightened by a few shades as dawn approached the morning. Eventually, Taako sighed and reached up, patting Kravitz’s cheek. “Thanks, babe,” he mumbled. 

Kravitz's hands stilled in Taako’s hair and he cleared his throat. “Do you want to talk about it?” 

Taako squinted up at him, studying his face, then rolled onto his side. “No,” he said flatly. It was the answer Kravitz had been expecting. Taako shifted, adjusting to be more comfortable. “Have I ever told you about my uncle, handsome?” 

This felt like an olive branch. Kravitz’s hands went back to weaving through Taako’s hair. “I think you’ve mentioned him in passing,” he replied. Taako leaned into Kravitz's touch, shifting again to brush his hair back so it wasn’t trapped under his head. 

“He was a good guy. Made potions, but couldn’t cook worth shit,” he laughed softly. Kravitz smiled down at the elf. “So, he was really happy to have these two orphans who’d make him dinner and do chores while he went gatherin’ for supplies. He was really worried we wouldn’t get, like, a good education. Every mornin’, he’d slap down a riddle for each of us on the kitchen table and we’d have to figure it out before he got back.” Kravitz could hear the smile, brushing a strand of hair away from Taako’s face.

He hummed. “What happened if you couldn’t figure it out?” 

Taako huffed out a laugh. “Nothin’, homie. Well, he’d help us. Though, his definition of a riddle was sorta,” Taako laughed again. “I know math and languages real swell ‘cause of him. Also, magic. He taught us magic, too.” Kravitz chuckled and let a hand linger on Taako’s shoulder. “It was the first thing I got before Lup did. She always figured out the riddles first, languages, math, history, whatever it was. I felt like I was chasin’ her shadow. Not a bad shadow to chase, but -,” he stopped himself and sighed. 

The hole Lup left in Taako’s life was a near-physical thing. Kravitz brushed a hand along Taako’s cheek. Taako turned his face to look up at Kravitz. He dropped his eyes away, then sat up. The sheets rustled as he slid off the bed. Kravitz leaned forward, crossing his legs, and watched Taako put on a robe. 

Taako stopped, back to Kravitz, hand resting on the ties of the house robe. “I dreamt about losing her in The Hunger.” Kravitz frowned, folding his hands in his lap, as Taako stepped away to light a candle on the dresser. 

The fire played against the color of the silk, the warm glow washing away the grayscale. Kravitz watched from the darkness, looking in on the construct of comfort. Taako picked up the candle and walked over, bringing Kravitz into his light. He set it on the table and climbed back into bed, kissing Kravitz lightly as he kneeled beside the reaper. “It’s kinda early to start the day, but I don’t think I can sleep. Sorry it was a shitty way to wake up.” He pressed their foreheads together briefly. Kravitz reached up to caress Taako’s cheek, brushing away a strand of hair with his other hand and settling it on the elf’s shoulder.

“You are the one I choose to end my days with,” he whispered against Taako’s lips. “Why wouldn’t I delight in beginning with you, too? In a few days, I won’t remember getting elbowed in the ribs; I’ll remember that you shared your dreams with me.” He felt warmth under his hand. Taako’s lips parted as he stared down intently into Kravitz’s eyes. “Too much?” Kravitz smiled awkwardly and waited for the rebuttal. 

Taako nodded, careful not to bump their heads together. He huffed, looking down and snaking a hand into Kravitz’s curls. “Look here, you are _always_ extra. I realized I loved you when you tried to take the roses back, handsome, ‘cause you were worried you’d hurt my feelings or whatever. Listen, I didn’t fall in love or something stupid like that; I’m not that clumsy anymore, my dude.” This wasn’t a story Kravitz had ever been told. Taako shifted under Kravitz’s gaze. 

He laughed nervously, eyes darting away as he took a rattling breath. “I sorta realized that I would love to make you flustered and laughing and looking at _me_ every day.” Kravitz angled his body towards Taako, listening attentively. His hands dropped to Taako’s hips. “I sorta used to think love meant I’d die for someone. ‘Cause that’s easy to say, yanno, if it’s you or me, I won’t be a complete selfish asshole, I guess. But it’s a lot more about figuring out how to live with someone and still look forward to whatever comes next.” Taako glanced up, catching sight of Kravitz’s fond smile, then away. “Maggie told me that love is one big adventure,” Taako whispered. “It’s a dumb analogy, but it works.”

Kravitz laughed softly. “I like it. Thank you for sharing this with me, love.”

“Hey, no problem, bones. I like talking,” Taako yawned and stretched, starting to pull away. 

Kravitz stopped Taako with a hand on his arm. “No, I meant - Thank you for sharing this adventure with me.” 

Taako pursed his lips, covering his mouth. He couldn’t keep a straight face for long and flopped over laughing. “Okay, _that_ was too much. Babe!” Kravitz fell back on the bed, joining him in the laughter. 

“It sounded a lot better in my head,” he protested weakly. 

A hand curled into Kravitz’s curls and brought their faces closer. “ _How_?” Taako was breathless, tiny snorts escaping as he gave up on holding them back.

They curled into each other, laughing.

**Author's Note:**

> I, Professor Angst, am 75% sure we all just needed some fluff. 
> 
> Feel free to follow my [Tumblr](https://evitcani-writes.tumblr.com/) or my [Twitter](https://twitter.com/Evit_cani).


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